Dog Owner's Manual › Introduction › 

The Dog's Head

Eyes: Most dog breeds come with brown or black eyes, though some varieties are fitted with blue, green, yellow, or even a combination of colors. Each eye has three eyelids—upper, lower, and a "third" lid in the inner corner. The third lid functions as a "windshield wiper," clearing dust and debris from the surface of the eye.

Ears: May come in several styles, including button, floppy, and rose ears. The "erect ear" (seen on such breeds as German shepherds and huskies) is the standard model once used by all ancient dogs.

Nose: As with the ears, the nose can take many forms and lengths. Colors can vary from black to liver; the color often lightens during winter. In general, the longer the nose the more well-developed the dog’s sense of smell. Its wetness increases its effectiveness by dissolving incoming scent molecules for easy analysis. Contrary to legend, a dry nose does not necessarily indicate sickness.

Tongue: While frequently used to taste potential food, the canine tongue is also used to vent excess heat. The movement of air back and forth across its surface (via panting), combined with the evaporation of saliva, serves to regulate body temperature.

Teeth: Dogs have 42 teeth, including six pairs of incisors in front that are bracketed by two pairs of large canines. The rest are molars and premolars, allowing dogs (unlike some predators) to easily add vegetarian fare to their diets, if circumstances dictate.

Comments (1)

Quirk BooksThe Dog Owner’s Manual is a basic guide to dog care.
The book was written by a celebrated veterinarian and an acclaimed author. It provides dog owners with well-researched and helpful information presented in a lighthearted manner. The creators chose to write the book in a style similar to what you'd find in "operating instructions" for a car or computer, so it would be in a familiar language for someone learning how to do something for the first time. Of course they—and we—respect the fact that our beloved pets are not products or machines, and we hope you will read this guide and discover that it is as valuable as it is fun to read.

Introduction

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This manual was written in a tongue-in-cheek parody of a computer or mechanical owner's manual; no where in the manual is there any language that should be construed as devaluing your dog. It is a parody, with a comic slant to very useful information. Please do not read the content to be an attack on the love we all have for our dogs, because it clearly was not meant that way. I found the entire manual to be hilarious, along with the "mechanical" illustrations.

barked by Susyn Stecchi on Apr 21, 2008 AT 4:14 pm PDT
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